october surprise. a record-breaking storm dumps more than 30 inches of snow in some places, knocking out power to millions and it could be a week before the lights come back on. trapped on a plane. it's happened again. angry passenger left stranded on the tarmac for more than seven hours. ambushed. ten americans killed in a brazen attack in afghanistan. jarring price hike. why starting tomorrow you'll have to shell out a lot more for a family favorite and a staple of kids' lunch boxes. and ghost town. on this halloween eve, we'll visit a city where scaring people is big business all year long. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. this will be a fall to remember. a fall weekend to remember here in the northeast. folks who haven't even had to break out their lawn rakes yet are manning snow shovels after a classic nor'easter dumped more than 30 inches of snow in spots and kill at least three people. the october shocker delivered a wet and damaging blanket of snow from maryland, up into new england. leaving in its wake, broken tree branches, downed power lines, stranded travellers and lots of new october snowfall records. from new york city up to hartford and worcester, mass. tonight some 3 million electric customers are in the dark. nbc's ron allen begins our coverage from wilton, connecticut. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. this is the scene in so many places across this state. trees with fallen leaves, falling down power lines and blocked roads. it is a massive problem. as many as 800,000 customers are

still without power here where it will be a very long, cold, dark night. across connecticut and especially along its rural roads, crews worked frantically to clear an incredible amount of destruction. the state's governor was blunt, wang, it's going to take a while. >> we're going to have extensive and long term power outages, and i am advised that at least initially, it looks like some people could be without power for as much as a week. >> reporter: the prospect of several days or more without power has a lot of people worried. >> we ain't got nothing. it's like you're freezing, you're worried about the food. we just went food shopping. >> reporter: it's all because heavy wet snow and fall foliage make for a disastrous mix so close to power lines. in some places, that that even ignited fires. and sent huge limbs crashing into one house in rockland county, new york. >> the tree fell on my house.

and it went through the roof and went into the family room. >> reporter: in yonkers, new york, another narrow escape. >> if i would have stood there two more seconds, i would be dead today. >> reporter: in some cases, there's concern more limbs and lines may still fall. >> we have several hundred crews out now trying to get the lines repaired and trying to get the trees cleared. >> reporter: the snowfall totals piled up through the day. a staggering 19 inches in west milford, new jersey, and further north, more than 31 inches in jaffrey, new hampshire. >> first, 30 inches of snow in february is a big deal. to see in it october is unprecedented. >> reporter: any snow this time of year can be a shock. it was only the fourth time in recorded history that new york central park had measurable snow in october. it's a weird wintry weekend storm, poking halloween ghosts and goblins in white.

giving kids an early taste of winter fun and leaving adults fearful about the future. >> we don't want six months of winter over here. three, four months is enough. >> reporter: in downtown new york, and other cities where protesters vowed to occupy wall street, they got a good taste of one of their toughest challenges. winter. a we move into the workweek, one bit of good news to report, most area airports are operating close to normal with only minor delays today after massive problems yesterday. still, connecticut, massachusetts, new jersey and parts of new york remain under a state of emergency. lester? >> ron allen starting us off tonight. the weather channel's mike seidel is in new jersey. you heard the man say we don't want six months of winter. a lot of folks want to know, is this an aberration or are we witnessing the start of an early and long winter? >> reporter: one weather event, no matter how extraordinary this one was, really doesn't bear watching in what lies ahead for the next four to five months.

it may be another cold and snowy winter like last year, it may not be. but there's no connection between what happened yesterday and what we're facing over the next several months and through the winter season. let's nut early season snowfall in perspective. first, some spots have a lot of snow. they're shoveling snow. they hadn't even had their first frost. here in west milford, some folks were out mowing their grass on friday and now share shoveling snow and cleaning up tree branches. in new york city, the average first measurable snow comes in december. this is a full six weeks early. and the big issue was the fact that we had leaves on the trees and that brought down limbs and knocked out power to millions. but no more snow in the forecast. a great looking week ahead. the temperatures warming up to about 50 tomorrow under sunny skies and it will stay in the 50s, about average work into the first few days of november. lester, the only way to have a long, cold snowy winter is to start early. and i think this storm qualifies for an early start. back to you. >> thank you. as we mentioned, the storm

disrupted air travel. it spawned another one of those legendary passenger horror stories we've heard about so often in the past of folks being trapped aboard a jet for hours on end. their cry for help ultraered through social media was heard, by the department of transportation which tonight has opened an investigation. craig melvin reports. >> reporter: frustrated passengers on jet blue flight 504 could look out their windows and see the terminal but could not get off the plane. one of them snapped these pictures. no food, water, and eventually, the toilets stopped working. >> almost came to fisticuffs on the plane. children under the age of 3 for eight hours on a plane isn't pleasant. >> reporter: after seven hours, state troopers finally boarded the aircraft to deal with the medical emergency. the saturday morning flight from ft. lauderdale was bound for new jersey when the snowstorm forced pilots to land in connecticut. one of the stranded tweeted,

yep, still on the runway. aren't there rules about how long they can make people sit here? actually, there are. the federal government first unveiled a passenger bill of rights in the spring of 2010 on the heels of another jet blue disaster. then some of the planes stuck with passengers were stuck on the runway in jfk airport in new york for more than nine hours. >> the bill of rights was designed to prevent passengers from having to sit for anything longer than three hours on the tarmac in a hot, sweaty aircraft with overflowing toilets and no access to food, water or medications. everyone of those rules was violated yesterday by jet blue. >> reporter: this time, the airline says mother night and the bradley airport should shoulderter blame. they said in part, the airport experienced intermittent power outages which made refueling and jet bridge deplaeng difficult. we apologize to the customers impacted. jet blue says it is offering a full refund to passengers. their apology won't stop a federal investigation that could

lead to hundreds of thousands in fines. it also may not repair the reputation with folks on saturday's flight. >> if we're lucky, free flight somewhere. i'll never fly jet blue again. >> reporter: craig melvin, nbc news, new york. turning now to decision 2012, on the campaign trail today and on the sunday talk show circuit, much of the focus was on the candidate who has been surging in the polls. herman cain. and while cain's campaign got some good news from a new poll this weekend, the candidate got grilled over a controversial new ad. we get the latest from mike vi quumpb ueira. >> reporter: with two months to go, more evidence that herman cain is for real. >> i believe that i'm doing so well because i'm connecting with the people. >> reporter: cain is now leading a closely watched iowa poll edging mitt romney. the pair at least ten points ahead of everyone else. skain a favorite of iowa conservatives despite recent

confusion over his stance on abortion which he termed a question of choice. today cain tried to clear up any doubt. >> i am pro-life from conception, period. >> reporter: the good news for cain comes as he deals with another controversy. the campaign ad featuring his chief of staff, shown smoking. today cain said the ad was not meant to promote tobacco use. >> mark block is a smoker and we say, let mark be mark. that is all we're trying to say. we believe, let people be people. >> i don't think it serves the country well, and this is an editorial opinion here, to be showing someone smoking a cigarette. and you're the front-runner now. >> it was not intended to offend anyone. being a cancer survivor myself, i am sensitive to that sort of thing. >> reporter: cain has surged ahead of conservative rival like former front-runner rick perry. >> was it before, he was before? >> reporter: after a series of debate missteps and running

afoul of conservatives on immigration, perry placed fifth. perry also kept up the attack against mitt romney, accusing him of flip-flops on four gop issues. >> i've always been pro-life. i've always been a fiscal conservative. and mitt has been on both sides of those issues. >> reporter: perry was joined in the attack by an unlikely ally. >> he has no core. >> reporter: the top aide to president obama went after the candidate many see as the biggest threat to a second term. >> he was an extremely pro-choice governor. now he believes that life begins at conception. so you look at issue after issue after issue, he's moved all over the place. >> reporter: and one note of caution on that iowa poll, this race is very much in flux. 59% of the people who responded to the poll said they can still be persuaded to change their mind. >> thank you. overseas to afghanistan where 17 people, ten of them, americans, have been killed in an attack on a nato convoy. more than a decade now into the war, it's a grim reminder of

just how dangerous afghanistan remains for our troops. nbc's reporter has the report from kabul. >> reporter: it was a brazen strike in broad daylight. the single deadliest ground attack in kabul against nato forces in the ten-year afghan war. an suv laden with explosives rammed into a military armored bus carrying u.s. and nato troops as well as civilians. igniting an inferno on the streets of the afghan capital. in all, 17 were killed including ten americans and two afghan school children. medevac helicopters lifted the dead and injured. the taliban quickly took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have used over 1,500 pounds of explosives. it was the deadliest of three separate incidents in the country yesterday. the violence comes as the u.s. and nato are planning for their 2014 draw-down. >> we at the moment in time when it is time to think of reconciliation, this is not the

moment in time to kill innocent people. >> reporter: this is the most americans killed in a single attack since the taliban rocket brought down a nato helicopter in wardak province in august, killing 30 american troops, including 23 navy s.e.a.l.s. despite the continued violence, nato says that the situation has improved. after rising for five consecutive years, nato now claims that taliban initiated attacks are declining. but the continued bloodshed fuels frustration among the afghan population. it shows the taliban strength, he says. and the weakness over afghan government, security forces and the international community. >> reporter: this attack comes days before countries across the region will gather in turkey to discuss afghanistan's future after u.s. combat troops leave. the taliban reminding the international community that they are still here and that they are still fighting. nbc news, kabul. back in this country tonight

in kansas, rescue crews have temporarily suspended efforts to find three people ming after a massive explosion and fire in a grain elevator. the blast killed three people and left to others with burns. when "nbc nightly news" continues, jarring hikes at the grocery store. the family favorite is about to cost a lot more. and who says it has to be halloween to get dressed up? we'll take you to the american city where they're running around scared year round. but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day.

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higher costs for manufacturers being passed along to you and your family. the price of one family favorite in particular is about to surge. we get the story tonight from nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: a family favorite in the school cafeteria and at hole, it's considered a staple. found in 90% of american households. >> it is like a mother's best friend. >> reporter: but peanut butter, often continued a cheap source of protein is about to get a lot more expensive. as early as tomorrow, manufacturers are raising prices. one brand by a whopping 40%. but tina has two kids who go through the stuff like halloween candy. >> an immediate jump of 40% i think will get people's attention. especially on an item that so many people put in their shopping cart. >> reporter: for farmers, it is supply and demand. this year's peanut crop is down almost 13%. >> a combination of factors, including rising energy prices

and heat and drought. >> reporter: crops in georgia, texas and alabama were especially hard hit by the brutal summer. and that sent peanut prices soaring. from $450 a ton last year to almost $1,200 now. even a small price increase would impact families when you consider this. the average child will have eaten 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he's even graduated from high school. that number may start falling. a recent study of consumer shopping habits shows two-thirds of americans change what they buy when it costs more. >> i might view it more as a treat or a luxury item, rather than as an everyday commodity. >> for now it's tolerable. >> reporter: this texas mom who writes a blog called the lunch tray about kids and food is concerned that some may have to skip an item they depend on. >> the price goes too high. i think it will leave a lot of

people in the lurch. >> reporter: shelling out more for a family staple as a southern drought drives peanut prices north. nbc news, houston. when we come back tonight, down to the wire in the michael jackson death trial with the defense's star witness on the stand. no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped!

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star witness. on friday, dr. paul white used demonstrations -- >> shake the bag like this. >> reporter: and diagrams. the world renowned propofol expert said michael jackson -- the king of pop, caused his own death. dr. white believes jackson swallowed lorazepam, anti-anxiety pill, then injected himself with a final dose of propofol so he could sleep. a killer combination. >> well, i believe it potentially could have lethal consequences. >> reporter: the theory contradicts the prosecution's expert, dr. steven schafer. >> people just don't wake up from anesthesia like that. >> reporter: he listed 17 cases of care. they painted him as a greedy star struck doctor had a would do anything to help jackson sleep. >> at the end of the day, you have a dr. white versus a dr.

schafer. however, the prosecution is going to still argue that there was gross negligence, even if you don't consider propofol at all. >> reporter: prosecution witnesses have testified that propofol should never be given in a home. that murray should have never left his patient's side, and that he didn't have the proper medical equipment to revive michael jackson. for weeks, prosecutors slammed jackson's doctor, but last friday he flashed his first smile when dr. white testified. murray has pled not guilty but experts doubt he'll ever take the stand in a case that could go to the jury this week. nbc news, los angeles. up next here tonight, what the first family is giving to trick or treaters in the white house. and the american city that has turned the art of scaring people into a real money maker.

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an early winter blast happened at the white house this week. the first family handed out candy and healthier fruit snacks to some bundled up trick or treaters last month. meeting the president was nice and all but walking away with handfuls of m & ms and hand made cookies, that's what it all about. finally, kids across the country make last minute costume sxhangs plans to scare the neighbors, there's one ghost town of sorts quickly gaining the reputation as the scariest place in america. where zombies, werewolves and

vampires run rampant all year long. >> reporter: zombies on the streets, a place long known as the capital of the south, it's scary. >> it's become one of the horror capitals of the world. >> reporter: meet the nightmare king. beneath the mask and make-up is ben armstrong, part of a legion of locals who appeared on the tv series, the walking dead. it was shot in atlanta. the zombies, we've got company here. also filming near atlanta are two other cable shows about the undead. one featuring a teenage werewolf. the other, vampires caught in a love triangle. >> i'm an actual vampire. i sleep during the day and i work onset at night. >> reporter: the city so many call hot-lanta is now a hot bed of horror. >> we're welcoming vampires,

zombies, all of them are welcome here. >> reporter: the state is luring these creatures and their creators away from hollywood. no one can really say why, but atlanta has long attract all thing supernatural. every year the city hosts one of the biggest zombie conventions. it infectious. even the centers for disease control also based in atlanta is not immune. for fun, it issued emergency guidelines in case of a zombie apocalypse. what is this fascination with zombies, whenwolves and vampires? we came here to one of the top rated places in the country to find out. not far from atlanta is never world. a massive house of horrors created by our friend, the nightmare king. >> i think in tough economic times, people really crave that escape to another world. that's what the fantasy and the supernatural provide. >> reporter: if it's fear you're looking for, the nightmare king said atlanta is your dream

destination. >> happy halloween! >> reporter: nbc news, atlanta. boo! that's "nbc nightly news." rock center debuts tomorrow night with brian williams. sunday night football, the cowboys versus the eagles this evening. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com